This disclosure relates to computer-mediated devices and methods for automated interpretation of data obtained by mass spectrometry in order to identify carbohydrates, particularly carbohydrates covalently bonded with proteins.
Since the genes in an organism encode the list of proteins that the organism manufactures, in principle the complete genome sequence of an organism provides a complete list of proteins in that organism. However, proteins are often modified after they are constructed from the gene (DNA) template, and these modifications have biological significance. Perhaps the most important class of modifications is the addition of small carbohydrates (glycans) to the protein. An example illustrating the importance of these modifications are the human blood groups, which result from the attachment of glycans to molecules on the surface of blood cells. A key problem in proteomics is the identification of these glycans. However, no practical automated method for identifying these glycans is currently available. Such a method would facilitate the labeling of peaks in a spectra and the identification of patterns that may not be readily observed from a non-automated process.